Two Fractured Souls

𝐅𝐨𝐫𝐠𝐨𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐧 𝐌𝐞𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐬

(Y/n's POV)

"Hey, get back here!" the baker screams after my retreating form, waving his spatula furiously around in the air.

I glance back over my shoulder at the small bakery before I round the corner, ending up in an alleyway. The sky is dark, but the streets are even darker. The light from the moon casts long shadows across the ground, and the crisp air whips across my cheeks, causing them to become numb to the cold.

Apartments surround me on every side with stairwells leading up to the roofs. Cars honk in the distance as they continue down the road, and people yell and curse at each other as they walk through the streets. I close my eyes and block out all sounds as I walk through the alley, making sure to stay close to the wall.

I run my hands over the bricks to help me find my way. After stumbling through the dark, I finally come across the staircase that has the ripped purple blanket hanging over it, an indicator that I'm in the right place. The hard ground and tiny pieces of gravel scrape my knees and hands, leaving small cuts, as I crawl underneath my makeshift shelter. After the incident with my powers, I was lucky to have found this giant hole, which leads to a small room underneath one of the apartments. It's been months since I've been forced to live on the streets, and I'm honestly surprised that no one has found this place yet.

The room only holds a couple of things, which are of importance to me. On one side of the room, there's a tiny bookshelf, which holds my favorite book of all time, and on the other side, lays a picture without a frame, slightly tinged black at the edges. The picture is of my mom, dad, and I sitting on the couch. Ice cream is smeared all over my mouth, and each of us are holding a huge tub of popcorn on our laps.

I remember that day well. I had just turned four, and my parents had planned a surprise party for me. The forecast for that day said that it would be sunny, so my parents had set up the party at the park. My parents had told me that they were taking me to the dentist, so when we pulled up to the park and I saw the party, I was so excited. I remember glancing around at the tables and seeing a mountain of gifts, looking at the playground and realizing that it was covered in balloons, and my parents' smiling faces once they saw how happy I was.

The party ended up getting ruined by a sudden rainstorm. The wrapping paper on the presents got soggy and fell off, the balloons popped from the harsh winds, and all of the guests left as soon as the first drops of rain fell. I was so upset that was party was ruined, and I didn't think anything would be alright ever again. Then, my mom suggested that we go home and watch movies instead. I had more fun than I could have possibly imagined that day. The main lesson I recall learning that day, though, is that it doesn't matter how you spend your birthday as long as you're with the people you love.

As I reminisce on the past, water fills my eyes and slowly drips down my face, bringing a burning sensation to my already sore cheeks. I let the tears continue to fall, though, because I've found out that physical pain helps keep the amount of mental pain I'm feeling under control. Subconsciously, I twist the bracelet resting my wrist. The beautiful ruby bracelet belonged to my mother and was the only thing besides the picture that I managed to recover from the fire.

I inhale shakily as I make my way back outside, sitting down on the stairs. As I stare at the beautiful sky, alight with millions of stars, I allow myself to dwell on what I lost. My hands wander to my pocket, where I stashed the piece of bread I stole earlier. Even thinking about food makes my stomach growl, since I've been without it for so long. My hands wrap around the bread, ready to take it out, when the screeching of tires draws my attention away from the food.

The screeching gets louder and louder, and it sounds like it's coming from every direction. I find out why when five black SUV's pull into the alleyway, blocking my way out. My breathing immediately picks up, and I clench my hands into fists, piercing my palms with my nails. I stand up, getting ready to flee, but I'm stopped by men in black suits exiting the vans. Within seconds, there are sixteen guns pointed at me, causing me to stop in fear that any movement will result in them shooting me.